Say My Name
by Siax
Summary: InuTaisho has decided that it is time for Sesshomaru to find a mate; a human mate no less. He orders that there be a competition of wits and wiles among the most poised and beautiful females to strengthen the ties between humans and demons. Kagome gets swept into this competition with nine other women. Can she win Sesshomaru's heart? Or will he choose someone else?
1. Becoming

**Chapter 1**

 **Becoming**

Butterflies filled my stomach as I gazed into stoic eyes fused from honeysuckle and sunlight. The ghost of a grin played across his lips as he watched me from across the room.

I nervously fidgeted and exhaled slowly. My hands fell to the skirts of my dress—a dress far too extravagant and lavish for a person of my social standing.

I reminded myself that I had only made it this far because of the deal we had forged in the beginning.

At this point in this frivolous game only three women were left, I among them. The other two girls gazed at him longingly, completely enthralled with the process—the competition. I, despite the blossoming feelings I was beginning to have, still thought the idea of inviting the most eligible bachelorettes to contend in a televised competition for the demon prince's heart was absurd and imprudent.

I thought of my family, of our meager rations, of their faces when the contestants were announced—the look of hope that fluttered across my mother's face—and I realized that I had to win. This competition, this race, had to end with me joined in holy matrimony with the demon prince.

I suppose to explain how this all began, I should start from the beginning.

 **x.X.x**

"It's on! It's on!" my younger brother, Souta, yelled from our quaint living room as he settled down in front of the small T.V. We had all just finished dinner, my mother once again taking a smaller portion than the rest of us to make sure we all ate well ('well' being much of an overstatement). I had given her half of mine to make up the difference which she fought but eventually gave in. I could see the bags under her eyes, her skin stretched tight across her face from lack of nutrition. She was beginning to become someone I didn't recognize.

The demon lords had demeaned and ruled over humans for hundreds of years being the faster, stronger, more capable beings. They gave us lesser, undesirable jobs and compensated us with a home and a meager amount of rations. It was only in recent years that all of that had begun to change. InuTaisho, the ruler of the country, had fallen in love with a human. It was quite scandalous and was in the papers for months. The lords that ruled under him had little to say publically about it but I could only imagine the uproar it had initially caused inside the palace walls.

Now that his hanyou son had become an adult, there was talk in the kingdom that his eldest son, a full-blooded demon like himself, should be looking to marry. InuTaisho announced in the weekly news that they would be selecting the ten most beautiful and poised female _humans_ to participate in what was described as a competition for the demon prince's affection.

I had only seen Sesshomaru, the eldest son, once but his eyes were simply cold, stoic. He held a regal posture, standing silently beside InuTaisho as he made the announcement. He was handsome, yes, but he had a known reputation for despising humans.

Lucky girls, I thought sarcastically.

I made my way over to where my brother sat, enthralled in the weekly report. My mother joined and soon after my grandfather sat next to her. "Demons," he muttered under his breath. "They've ruined this world!"

My mother gave him a small sympathetic smile and placed a hand lovingly on his arm. "At least we have a roof over our heads and enough rations to not starve," my mother said softly.

My grandfather looked at her incredulously before tossing his hands up in frustration. "Don't get me started on that, Sakura," he warned.

I silently agreed with my grandfather's unspoken retort and turned my attention back to the program. A young man with jet black hair tied into a small ponytail and a gleeful smile sat on the screen. "The applications to find the perfect match for Sesshomaru have gone out today. We have sent one to each of the eligible women in country and will be spending countless hours narrowing it down to the ten perfect human women to be the next queen," he stated. "So ladies, make yourselves so desirable that he'll have to choose you!" he said with a wink.

I scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all. There was absolutely no way I would ever fill out that application, much less even open it when it came.

I began to get up when he started again, "Oh and I almost forgot to mention that each family will be _graciously_ compensated throughout the competition. The woman who wins the heart of the prince will be able to have her family move to the castle grounds."

My mother glanced in my direction. "Kagome," she started, "that would be such a grand opportunity!"

I glanced at my hands that were placed in my lap, noticing the roughness from working in the fields. Even if I was chosen, what would ever make a prince, a _demon lord_ , want to fall in love with me? What did I have to offer him that the other women wouldn't?

I sighed. "Yes, mama, it would," I said as she gave me a hug. It would be a good opportunity, but not for the reasons that I'm sure the romantic in my mother was gushing about.

My interest had peaked at the comment about _'gracious compensation'_. Maybe we could actually go to sleep with full bellies for once.

If only, I sighed to myself. If only.

 **x.X.x**

As promised the application arrived a few days after the announcement aired. My mother found me that night as I was getting ready for bed and enthusiastically handed me the packet of papers with a small box on top of them. I looked at the box curiously.

"Well," she said impatiently and with a smile. "Open it!"

I cautiously cracked open the box and peeked inside. My eyes widened. "How did you get this?"

My mother beamed. "I had a few things put away that I could trade."

I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen chocolate. It was such a luxury now, what with many of the demons lords having adverse effects towards it after a trader had sold them some. Now it rarely came through the towns.

"But…why?" I asked, my mouth watering at the idea of eating the small morsel of heaven tucked away in the box I held.

My mother smiled and placed her hand on my cheek. "Because, my dear, you'll win. You just have to try," she said confidently.

"But I don't even know if I'm going to—"

"You will. I know you will," she interrupted. "You care far too much not to." She stood after placing a quick kiss on my forehead. "And I know you'll find something much more there too. Goodnight, Kagome."

She closed my bedroom door silently and I huffed, staring down at the application and the small box. I sighed. There was no way they would pick someone like me. I would submit the application to appease my mother but I knew I had no chance at even getting picked, much less winning the ice prince's heart.

 **x.X.x**

It was done. I had sent in my application, picture included. That had been months ago. I believed that if they were going to pick me, I surely would have been notified. I smiled, satisfied with my attempt. My mother still believed that I was going to be taken to the castle one day soon.

As we sat down for the weekly announcements, I laughed as my brother teased a stray cat that we had found (and subsequently named Buyo) with the string on his sweatshirt. The cat meowed and swatted at the string.

My mother shook her head but wouldn't say anything since it made my brother happy. He had come home with puppy dog eyes and the cat cradled in his arms a few weeks ago. My mother sighed and said he could keep it. Somehow we had managed to keep him fed (well between catching the mice in the house and outside, he was quite the pudgy creature).

My mother shushed us as the man on the screen began to speak.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I am pleased to announce we have chosen our ten contestants."

The screen flashed to a picture of a beautiful woman with long black hair and piercing eyes. She had an air about her that was regal. Oh she'd be perfect, I thought quietly. The announcer went on to describe where she was from and how she was talented at playing the flute.

I listened as the rest of the women appeared.

"Our last contestant is a beauty from the northern parts," he continued.

"A miss Kagome Higurashi."

My picture flashed on the screen and I gasped.


	2. Que Sera, Sera

**A/N:** Hi all, I just wanted to make a quick note that you'll notice that some who are demons in the mangas/show are not going to be in this story. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 2**

 **Que Sera, Sera**

My mother's reaction was much what I expected it to be. She squealed, smiling and clapping her hands together like a small child that had just been presented with a piece of cake. My younger brother stared at the screen and then at me, wide-eyed. My grandfather, skeptical of the entire thing, immediately began searching for his sutras thinking that the only reason they would really want humans in the castle would be for some sort of evil ritual.

"Kagome, you come from a long line of mikos—you can harness those powers to protect your—"my grandfather began only to be interrupted by my mother.

"Dad!" she huffed. "Oh, Kagome, this is wonderful!" she said and scooped me up into a big hug. Souta rammed into us and I had to steady myself from falling. He wrapped his arms around both of us.

"This is so exciting!" he squealed.

I sighed from the hug, silently cursing the gods for actually going through with making me one of the contestants. Maybe I could stay long enough for my family to get in a good meal or two.

What had really struck me was the look of pure hope that flashed across my mother's face. Hope that we could all have a better life, hope that I could find true love…

But really, what had they seen in _me?_ What would _he_ see in me?

 **x.X.x**

There was a knock on the door early Sunday morning. I wasn't supposed to depart for the castle for another day so I was curious as to who it could be. My mother opened the door and a group of young men stood on the small porch, the first one in line with a very pleasant smile on his face. "You must be Mrs. Higurashi," he said, bowing respectfully. "My name is Bankotsu and behind me is Renkotsu there with the camera," he said, pointing, "Jakotsu over there and Suikotsu right there."

"May we come in?" he asked politely.

My mother nodded and smiled, "Of course!" she said, opening the door wider so that could all make their way inside the house. The one he had introduced as Jakotsu held multiple bags that I assumed had clothes in them. Renkotsu held a large video camera and Suikotsu followed him with a large mic. I hid around the corner of my bedroom door as they all settled in and I heard Bankotsu _attempt_ to give my mother a compliment about our shabby living conditions. I'm sure it was nothing compared to the immense amount of space and the pristine living environment they were used to.

"Kagome!" she called. I came out of my hiding spot and made my way to the living area.

Bankotsu smiled when he saw me. "Hello there, beautiful," he complimented. He grabbed my hand and motioned for me to spin around. "We can definitely work with this," he said and then went over to Jakotsu. Jakotsu sighed, glaring slightly at me before shoving a bag in my direction.

"Here, honey, go put this on…it's much better than your _drab_ clothing."

I snatched the bag hastily and glared and him wondering what the heck his problem was. Bankotsu gave him a slight warning glance. I opened my mouth to say something when Bankotsu began to speak.

"Like Jakotsu said, go put this on and then we will talk. We need to get to know you. We're going to be your fashion team for this competition. Nothing will don that body of yours without us knowing," he got close to whisper the next part. "And don't worry about Jakotsu, he's just jealous of your position in this competition…"

He returned to a normal stance and gently pushed me towards the bedrooms. "Now go, get changed. We'll be waiting out here."

I could hear them conversing with my mother as I walked into my room. I sighed and figured I may as well get this over with. Part of me was excited to be coddled and dressed. I could only imagine what types of treats and extravagant things they had at the palace. They were probably things I could only imagine in my wildest dreams.

I pulled the dress from the bag and gasped at its beauty. I slipped the dress on and glanced hesitantly in the mirror. It fit me like a glove. It was a gorgeous, sleeveless, floor length gown. The top of the dress modestly covered my chest and then hugged at the waist before flowing out again. The dress itself was a royal blue, softly dusted with a silver glitter to make it shimmer. I smiled and twirled around in the mirror. If there was ever a moment I felt even remotely like a princess, this would be it.

I exited my room and slowly made my way to the living room, hugging my arms to my chest. It felt _weird_ to be dressed in something so opulent.

Bankotsu saw me first and stopped midsentence, a triumphant smile adorning his face. Jakotsu saw me next, his eyes narrowing into slits before huffing.

"Oh, Kagome, you look absolutely beautiful!" my mother exclaimed, her eyes full of glee.

Bankotsu walked over and began messing with my hair, piling it up on my head and frowning slightly before figuring out exactly what he wanted. Jakotsu grabbed some make up and bracelets from another bag next to him. While Bankotsu curled my hair, Jakotsu quickly applied a light, almost natural looking coat of make up to my cheeks and eyes.

When they were done, they both backed away, taking in the whole picture before nodding in approval. "Perfect," Bankotsu said.

"Yeah, she's _alright_ ," Jakotsu muttered, putting his supplies back into his bags. I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore him.

For the first time, I looked at my living room. Renkotsu and Suikotsu had moved a few things around and taken our modest furniture and covered them with beautifully crafted blankets and sheets to make it look a little more presentable. The couch now faced a small chair which I assumed where Bankotsu would be sitting.

Bankotsu gestured towards the couch asking me to have a seat.

"Okay, Kagome, this is just a small segment so that everyone can get to know you. I'm just going to ask you a few questions…there's not many. Answer them as honestly as possibly," Bankotsu directed as Renkotsu and Suikotsu got into place with the camera equipment.

"It's not live," he assured, most likely seeing the look of hesitation cross my face. "We'll submit ours and then the other teams will submit theirs and then they'll be cut together and aired."

I sighed nervously. "Alright, let's do it."

 **x.X.x**

The ride to the palace was riveting. A long, black car had pulled up at my house in the morning and the driver, a panther demon, had graciously helped with my one bag that contained some necessities and a few personal items (even a pair of jeans and one of my favorite shirts much to Bankotsu's dismay). I was instructed not to bring any of my own clothing. Bankotsu assured me that would all be taken care of upon my arrival.

I had given my family one long group hug, even stopping to pet Buyo before I departed. My brother told me to try to sneak him back some sweets before running off to play. My mother had unshed tears lingering in her eyes as she waved goodbye and my grandfather (who had tried to stuff my bag with sutras) had a look of disdain and worry on his face as he watched me leave.

I realized then just how much I was going to miss them.

I shook that all out of my head and thought back to the interview that I had done with Bankotsu and cringed. It had gone _somewhat_ smoothly. He began by asking me questions about my family, my hobbies (or lack thereof), and then moved onto the one question that I had been asking myself since I was picked: what could I offer the prince that no other woman could?

I was stumped. I faltered and admitted I didn't know. Banktosu frowned disapprovingly and said we would have to work on that before noting that he would take that out of the video before sending it to his higher ups. Jakotsu chuckled in the back, agreeing that I didn't have much to offer. This was the point where I couldn't hold it in any longer and yelled at Jakotsu asking him what his problem was with me which ended up with us nose to nose in a heated argument.

Bankotsu pulled us apart but looked at me admirably making a comment about how perhaps my "fire" could melt the ice prince's heart.

I sighed, watching the trees meld into one big, blurry line of brown and green as we sped down the road.

"We won't be there for a while," the panther demon said from the front. "You can take a nap if you wish."

I smiled and did just that.

 **x.X.x**

It wasn't the car slowing down that woke me but the excited screams and the chanting of names that did. I opened my eyes slowly to see that we were surrounded by a plethora of people: men, women, and children, a majority of them holding signs with the contestants' names of pictures on them. To my surprise, I saw my own name and picture on a few.

According to Bankotsu, a handful of the girls came from impeccable breeding (for humans anyways) and I was among the few that came from a poorer, more sheltered background. It seemed the people's favorite at this moment was a woman named Sara Asano—the woman who was announced first when they aired the contestants' information. She was apparently a general's daughter; a general on very good terms with InuTaisho.

It made me wonder if I was simply a pity pick—one to sate the people of lower social standing.

I shook my head and watched as we made our way through an immensely large cobblestone gate. I was in awe, watching as we passed fountain upon fountain and lush vegetation and ponds. The entire ride to the entrance left me in trance; the palace was astounding.

Our car pulled up behind nine others; I assumed all the women were now here. My driver hastily exited the front of the car and opened my door for me. Bankotsu had dressed me in a simple summer dress before my departure, nothing too over-the-top (thankfully). The other girls, however, ranged from lavish dresses to simpler ones like myself.

I took in my surroundings and the other contestants. The woman next to me did little to be modest, her dress was cut in the front to show an ample amount of cleavage. She had a short bob and a devious smile as she took me in.

"Welcome ladies!" a voice boomed. I snapped my head towards the stairs and watched as the same man who had made all of the announcements walked down the steps towards us. "It's a pleasure to have you here! My name is Miroku and I am Lord InuTaisho's right hand man. He would have been here to greet you himself but unfortunately something came up."

"And might I say, you all look very beautiful," he said with a wink, causing some of the girls to blush. The girl with the short hair and revealing dress simply smirked. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Now, you have each been assigned three handmaidens to attend to your every needs. They will be escorting you to your rooms, momentarily," he paused as a group of young women shuffled out to the courtyard, a group of three standing behind each contestant. "Tonight, we just want you to settle. You will all have dinner in your rooms and then tomorrow morning you will all be dining with Sesshomaru and his family," he said as the squeals and cheers started.

"Have a good night, ladies," he said with a grin and then disappeared back into the expansive castle.

"Hi!" a young girl said, waving at me. "I'm Eri, this is Yuka, and this is Ayumi," she said cheerily. The other two chorused a merry hello and they all led me up the stairs to where I assume my room was.

 **x.X.x**

Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka had gotten me settled. Dinner was served on a silver platter (literally) and consisted of chicken, potatoes, and an array of vegetables. My eyes widened and my mouth watered as soon as I had seen it. My family mostly lived off of soups and bread since it was all we could really manage with our meager rations. I was truly in heaven.

And _then_ they had sent in dessert which was the richest, most velvety piece of cake I had ever tasted. I plopped down on my bed immensely satisfied and my stomach full for the first time in months.

The room itself was incredible and could fit about five of my houses in it. There was a small balcony overlooking some beautiful gardens lush with roses, lilies, tulips, and any other flower you could think of. The bathroom had a tub that was big enough for me to sleep in, surrounded by a beautiful cream marble lining the counters. There was a private sitting room off to the side. The closet was filled to the brim with beautiful, colorful dresses and shoes. And don't even get me started on the bed. The bed itself sunk as I laid in it, molding perfectly around my body.

This was truly the life.

I sighed contently and walked out to the balcony. I thought of my family and how much they would have loved it here. I ran a hand through my hair, thinking of how much I missed them. I realized I should probably get my mind off of it or I wouldn't be able to sleep much tonight.

I wondered to myself if there a library nearby. I mentally slapped myself. Of course there was, there had to be.

I knew I probably shouldn't have and every fiber of my being was telling me not to but I donned my robe and quietly slipped out the bedroom door into the hallway, in search of a library.

 **x.X.x**

I had managed to find a library, though something told me that this was only one of many. I marveled at the amount of books that adorned the walls, running my hands across the binding as I looked for something to take my mind off of everything.

Surely they wouldn't miss one book, would they?

Oddly enough, the castle was very quiet. There were no guards stationed outside the doors, no maids scuttling around, and no noises but the gentle whisper of the wind from outside the windows.

I heard the floor creak slightly and startled, I whipped around looking for the source of the noise. I saw nothing, my heart speeding up tenfold. You're hearing things, I told myself. You're just feeling guilty and feel like you're going to get in trouble if you get caught so your mind is making things up.

I let out a slow breath and turned to look at the books again.

A hand grasped my arm and I whipped around as fast I could, thrusting my hands out to push the assailant away. A bright purple light flashed in front of me and whoever had touched me went flying back. I gasped and looked down at my hands and then up at the person.

"Oh my god," I gasped. "I—I don't—"

"A miko," he snarled, lifting his head. He sat crouched near the ground, the left sleeve of his haori slightly burnt, his exposed skin red underneath. Bright golden eyes glared up at me as he returned to a standing position.

My eyes widened when I realized who it was. _Sesshomaru_. "I'm not…I didn't mean—"I stuttered, putting my hands up defensively.

"Cease your inane babble, miko," he growled. He stalked towards me. I backed up, terrified. My back hit a wall and I immediately began looking for any way out.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now, ningen" he whispered against my cheek. I looked up at him and swallowed, hard. I searched every inch of my mind to find a reason to convince him to give me a second chance.

At my hesitation, he lifted his hand and I winced, a thought coming to me.

"Wait!" I half yelled, half whispered. "Let's make a deal."


End file.
